Finch's Beer to add 45,000-square-foot riverfront brewery

Finch's Beer Company

The architect's rendering shows Finch's new brewery, by PF&A Design of Norfolk, Va., to be built along the North Branch of the Chicago River, somewhere in Lincoln Park (the location has not been disclosed).

The architect's rendering shows Finch's new brewery, by PF&A Design of Norfolk, Va., to be built along the North Branch of the Chicago River, somewhere in Lincoln Park (the location has not been disclosed). (Finch's Beer Company)

Josh NoelChicago Tribune

At Finch's new brewery, you'll be able to pull up in your boat and try a beer.

If you ask 100 Chicago residents to name the first Chicago brewery that comes to mind, my guess is that the responses would be the following:

•Goose Island: 48 percent

•Revolution: 22 percent

•Half Acre: 17 percent

•Pipeworks: 9 percent

•Lagunitas: 3 percent

•Purple Monkey Dishwasher (or whatever happens to be the name of the brewery that the person you asked is planning to open): 1 percent

Finch's Beer Co. is aiming to move higher on that list. Though fairly well represented in the city's bars and beer stores, the brewery has mostly labored quietly on the Northwest Side since opening in 2011.

While, for instance, Half Acre and Revolution have focused their efforts largely on Chicago — it's where the vast majority of their beers are distributed, plus they will soon have four taprooms between them — Finch's has chosen a broader path.

Finch's has no taproom. It offers tours only part of the year. Instead of building local loyalty, it has targeted quick growth and now distributes in 23 states and Washington D.C. — an astoundingly wide footprint for a 3-year-old brewery.

Finch's has also changed its identity quite a bit since debuting. The first two beers it released — Cut Throat Pale Ale and Golden Wing Blonde Ale, both of which were middling at best — have been discontinued. Replacing them are much more dynamic styles: a vanilla stout (Secret Stache), an imperial India pale ale (Hardcore Chimera) and a spicy red ale (Fascist Pig).

"We always made good beer, but we realized we had to make great beer," said Ben Finch, founder of the brewery. "We had to up our game. And in a funny way, Chicago is just learning about that. But that's OK. That's part of phase two."

Welcome to phase two: One of the largest breweries in Chicago, at a spot on the North Branch of the Chicago River. Because the deal is only "95 percent complete," Finch didn't want to reveal the exact location beyond describing it as "on the west side of Lincoln Park — north of Division and south of Fullerton, on the river." A formal announcement is planned for early 2015.

Finch said the new 45,000-square-foot brewery, by PF&A Design of Norfolk, Va., will include a tap room as large as 4,800 square feet; a bottle shop; riverwalk improvements; and slips for boat parking. He also plans to dedicate some of his space — possibly the current Finch's facility, on Elston Avenue — for contract brewing. You can see the plans for the new brewery, drawn by Finch's father and business partner (who is an architect by trade), on the Finch's website, finchbeer.com. They hope to have the new space open by late 2016.

"We've got a ways to go," Finch said. "Because of due diligence, some aspects of the plan might change, but overall the grand vision will not change."

Finch, who has been working on the deal for close to a year, is being represented by Mara Georges, former corporate council for the city of Chicago. She has been able to "get the right meetings with the right people," he said, which has been crucial because the site is in a Planned Manufacturing District. City officials, he said, are aware of the project and so far are on board.

"We're excited about the site, which is why we spent so much time on it and kept our mouths shut until we were close," he said. "This site would be great for Finch's, the city and for beer in Chicago. As modern manufacturing goes, it's perfect."

Finch said that building such a large brewery with an opportunity for expansion — the land he'll be leasing is 4 acres — was always part of the plan.

"My model was to be working with distribution partners, establishing great lines of communication and getting the brand out in the markets aggressively," he said. "Now that we're profitable in a short three years, we're doing things that people told us we could never do. Our plan is to become a national brand."

Finch said he sees room for national growth, especially in the 16-ounce four-pack can that has become Finch's go-to package.

"For people in Chicago, cans are obvious, but for the vast majority of America, cans are still something people are picking up for the first time," he said.

Oh, and I did a mini-version of the experiment above, asking 10 people to name the first Chicago brewery that came to mind. The results: